Zipper end stop stapling machine



June 22, 1965 M. PERLMAN 3,190,521

ZIPPER END STOP STAPLING MACHINE INVEN TOR. MOSES FERLMAN 1 MAE 72 mATTORNEYS June 22, 1965 M. PERLMAN 3,190,521

ZIPPER END STOP STAPLING MACHINE ,Filed June 14, 1960 s Sheets-Sheet 2FIG.9

FlG.ll 4 W613 llllllll ll INVENTOR.

Moses PERL MAN BYW M ATTORNEYS June 22, 1965 Filed June 14, 1960 M. PER

LMAN

ZIPPER END STOP STMPLING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR- Moses 131%Jit torney United States Patent 3,190,521 ZIPPER END STOP STAPLINGMACHINE Moses Perhnan, 4410 14th Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed June 14,196i), Ser. No. 35,965-

' 1 Claim. ((11. 2273) The present invention relates to improvements inthe art of making slide fasteners. The usual way of manufacturing slidefasteners is to provide a pair of long stringers with interlockingelements so as to obtain a zipper tape of a length of about two hundredand fifty yards. An object of the present invention is the provision ofnew and improved end stop staples for zippers, and of a device whichautomatically makes and attaches the end stop staples to each end ofeach series of zipper teeth, so that a slider or a spacing member forinterdigitating said zipper teeth or for disconnecting them cannot bemoved beyond a series of teeth.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a device ofthe character described which produces from a strip of metal theaforementioned staples of a higher quality than hitherto possible andwithout waste of material, and all this being done automatically duringthe operation of the device.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a deviceof the character described which is relatively simple and inexpensive inconstruction, but which also is reliable in operation as well as sturdy,durable and well adapted for being handled by unskilled operators.

With the foregoing and other objects which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangements of parts of the embodimentdisclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing I have set forth an illustrative embodimentof my invention.

In said drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a piece of a zipper tape as it appears beforeit has been treated by a cutting machine;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tape of FIG. 1 as it appears after theremoval of some zipper teeth between rows of other zipper teeth;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the piece of tape after its treatment by my newand improved device has been completed;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a strip of metal from whichlongitudinal blanks for forming my new and improved staple have beencut;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of a staple;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of a staple;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a zipper teeth removing device used inconnection with my invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the device of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a staple-making-and-inserting device usedin connection with my invention;

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of the device of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a detailed enlarged front view of a slot engagingarrangement;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the arrangement of FIG. 11; and

FIG. 13 is a wiring diagram of a control circuit.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

A piece of a long zipper tape 1 consisting of a pair of stringers 2 and3, which are detachably fastened to each other by interdigitatingelements or teeth 4, is shown in FIG. 1. After the tape 1 has left thedevice illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, some of the teeth 4 have beenremoved, so that edge portions 5 between rows of teeth 4 aredisconnected from each other, forming open slots in the tape 1, as shownin FIG. 2. Finally, after the tape 1 has passed from the device of FIGS.7 and 8 through the device of FIGS. 9 and 10, the :slots formed by thedisconnected edge portions 5 are separated from the remaining teeth 4 bystaples 7, so that then the tape appears as is illustrated in FIG. 3.The finished tape 1 can be cut along cutting lines It) (FIG. 3), to formindividual zippers of a desired length.

Although any kinds of staples can be used for limiting the movement of asliding member or of a spacing member (not shown), so that the slidingmember will not leave the tape portions provided with teeth 4, I preferto use my new and improved staples shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. There itwill be seen that longitudinal blanks 12 are first cut off a strip I5 ofmetal or plastic material, and each blank 12 has two or three pointedextremities 17 each of which is formed substantially like a right-angledtriangle having one side formed of, or parallel to an edge portion ofthe strip 15. In this way the extremities of the blanks 12 are in aperfect interdigitating relation to each other and no waste materialwill have to be cut out between them. I have found that this staple,which is finaliy clinched over to a formation as that shown in FIG.

6, is not only generally superior to the hitherto used staples, it alsodoes not tear the material of the zipper stringers 2 and 3.

The zipper teeth removing device of FIGS. 7 and 8 has a longitudinalbase 17, which preferably is shaped in cross-section like an inverted T,consisting of a horizontal base portion 28 and a vertical rail portion21, and being supported by legs 22. A control carriage 23 is slidable onthe rail portion 21 of the base 17 and has a bifurcated rail engaginglower portion 24- into which is laterally screwed a threaded bolt 25,that is operated as a set screw for securing the carriage in any chosenposition in spaced relation to a power press 27 mounted on one end ofthe base 17. The power press 27 is driven by an electric motor 30 and isadapted for knocking zipper teeth 4 out from the tape 1, which passesthrough the press 27 from a drum 31. Any suitable power interrupter suchas a micro switch 32 is mounted on the power press 27 and is switched onor off by the movement of an arm 33 or any other moving member, whichmay be moved by an excenter or by a cam member 34 (FIG. 8) or the likeconnected to a reciprocating knocking member (not shown) of the powerpress 27.

The tape 1 is pulled through the press 27 and through the controlcarriage by means of a roller 35 against which the tape 1 is pressed bya roller 37. The roller 37 is rotatably mounted on bearing members 40,which are slidable on upright bolts 41 that are extended from the otherend of the horizontal portion Ztl of the base 17, and springs 42 areinterposed between the bearing members and nuts 43 screwed upon thebolts 41. The roller 35 is driven by a pulley 44, and an electric clutch45 is interposed between the roller 35 and the pulley 44. An electricmotor 47 is connected to the pulley 44 by means of a belt 50.

A solenoid 5-1, or any other lifting mechanism is mounted on the controlcarriage 23 and is adapted for lifting a stop bolt 53 at predeterminedintervals. Any suitable power interrupter such as a micro switch 54 isalso mounted on the carriage 23 near the bolt 53 and is connectedthereto by any suitable means so as to be actuated by the operation ofthe bolt 53. The motor 47 runs constantly during the operation of thedevice, but it drives the pulley 35 only when the electric clutch 45 isengaged, so that the tape 1 is being moved from the drum 31 through thecarriage 23 only when the bolt 53 is lifted above the tape 1.

When starting operation on a tape 1 (FIG. 1), first the operator removesby hand some of the zipper teeth 4, so as to obtain a pair of toothlessedge sections 5, forming a slot, as shown in FIG. 2. Then one endportion of the thus prepared tape 1, which usually is about two hundredand fifty yards long, is passed through the power press 27 and thecontrol carriage 24, and between the rollers 35 and 37, as is indicatedin FIGS. 7 and 8. When the stop bolt 53 is in its down-position, so thatits lower end is extended into the slot formed by toothless edgesections in the tape 1, the micro-switch 54 opens an electrical circuitof the electric clutch 45 so as to disengage the same. Said circuit isshown in FIG. 13, where the numerals 111i and 111 denote terminals of asource of electrical current, and the numeral 112 denotes a main switch.The power press 27 is operating and forces a suitable reciprocatingknocking member down upon some of the teeth 4 in the stringers 2 and 3of the tape 1, so as to remove some of said teeth 4. Thereupon, whilesaid knocking member in the power press 27 is being raised again, thecam member 34 connected thereto causes the arm 33 to swing into aposition in which the micro switch 32 closes an electrical circuitenergizing the solenoid 51, so that the stop bolt 53 is lifted out ofengagement with the tape 1. The lifting of the stop bolt 53 actuates themicro switch 54, which causes a re-engagement of the electric clutch 45,so that the tape 1 will be pulled by the roller 35 until the nexttoothless edge sections 5 allow the stop bolt 53 to enter into the slotformed by these sections 5 in the tape 1, which also will cause adisengaging of the electric clutch 45, so that the movement of the tape1 will be stopped until the removal of some teeth 4 thereof has beencompleted by the power press 27. This cycle of operation is repeatedrapidly so that the tape 1, with zipper-toothed sections as shown inFIG. 2, will pass out of the device in the direction of the arrow 55(FIG. 8), and will enter the stapler of FIGS. 9 to 12.

This stapler, which is a staple making and staple inserting device thatbasically may be of any suitable, wellknown construction, primarilyconsists of a base 57 supported by legs 60, a tape moving electric motor61 and a staple press 62 mounted on the base 57, and a press motor 63 aswell as a wire reel 66 mounted on the staple press 62. Wound upon thewire reel 66 is the metallic ribbon or strip referred to hereinbefore,from which are cut, by means of the stapler, the blanks 12, out of whichare formed the bottom stop staples 7. The tape 1 is pulled through thepress 62 in the direction of the arrow 64 (FIG. 9) by a roller 67, whichis connected by an electric clutch 70 to a pulley 71 that is driven by abelt 72 passing round a pulley 73 secured to a shaft 74 of the motor 61.A roller shaft 75, which connects the clutch '70 to the roller 67, aswell as an auxiliary roller 77, are rotatably mounted on a bracket arm80 that is secured to the press 62. A power relay 81 as Well as rrucroswitches 82 and 83 also are mounted on the press 62.

A staple press plunger 84, which is reciprocated when the press 62 is inoperation, has a cam section 85, which is in engagement with aspring-biased lever 87, that switches the micro switch 83 on and off.

A disk roller 90 is rotatably mounted in alignment with the center ofthe tape 1, on an arm 91, which is pivoted at 92 (FIG. 10) to the press62. The arm 91 is connected to the micro switch 82 and is adapted forswitching it on and off.

The making of the staples 7 from the strip 15, which passes into thepress 62 from the reel 66, that is carried by a bracket 93, is no partof my present invention. However, the reciprocating plunger member 84 isprovided with a push member 94, which has a shoulder portion 95 (FIG.12) for pushing the staples 7 down upon the tape 1, and which also has apointed extremity 97. In opposite alignment with the extremity 97 thereis provided a vertically movable stop bolt 98 in an upright housing 99,

4 which also contains a spring 100 that forces the bolt 98 upward.

While the device is in operation, the motor 61 is running constantly.The electrical circuit for the clutch 70 is controlled by the microswitch 82 and the power relay 81. As long as the clutch 70 is engaged,the roller 67 rotates and pulls the tape 1 in the direction of the arrow64 (FIG. 9) between an anvil and the plunger 84 of the press 62. Whenthe disk roller 90, which together with the arm 91 constitutes a sensingdevice, hits a slot in the tape 1, which slot has been made by theremoval of some of the teeth 4 from the stringers 2 and 3, the lever arm91 swings in a counter-clockwise direction on the pivot 92, and theswitch 82 conductively connects a wire 123 (FIG. 13) over a contact 141,wires 124 and 125, contacts 145 and 148, a wire 162, an electric clutchsolenoid 163 and a wire 164 to a wire 121. Thus, if the main switch 112is closed, an electric current will pass from the first terminal 119 ofa source of electrical current over the wires 121 and 164, the clutchrelay 163, the wire 162, the contacts 14-8 and 145, the wires 125 and124, the switch 82 and the wire 123 to a second terminal 111 of theaforementioned source of electrical current. This causes an opening, ora disconnecting, of the electrical clutch 70, so that the feed roller 67no longer will be driven by the motor 61. At the same time, the bolt 98is forced upwardly by the spring 100 into the afore mentioned slot inthe tape 1 and definitely stops any fur ther movement of the rollers 67and 77, which due to their inertia would still continue to rotate evenafter the disengagement of the clutch 70. While the tape 1 is thus mademotionless, a staple 7 properly formed by the state pler is inserted at,and clinched and fastened to, an end of the aforementioned slot in thetape 1, and when the member 84 is close to its lower end position, theex tremity 97 pushes the stop bolt 93 down and out of said slot, andsimultaneously the cam portion 85 causes a swinging of the lever 87, sothat the switch 83 will be closed momentarily, connecting the wire 124to a contact 141). Thus an electric current will pass from the terminalover the wires 121 and 157, the relay solenoid coil 81, wires 155 and127, the switch 83, the wire 124, the switch 82 and the wire 123 to theterminal 111. This will energize the solenoid 81, so as to cause aswinging of a double pole relay switch member 160, which has a pair ofparallel switch blades that move in unison and are insulated from oneanother and pivoted conductively at 142 and 145, toward the solenoid 81,causing a conductive connection of contacts 144 and 146 to contacts 142and 145 respectively, and a disconnecting of the contact 148 from thecontact 145. Now an electric current will pass from the terminal 110over the wires 121 and 157, the relay solenoid 81, the wire 155, thecontacts 146 and 145, the wires and 124, the switch 82 and the wire 123to the terminal 111. Simultaneously, an electrical current will passfrom the terminal 110 over the wires 121, 164 and 170, the electricclutch '70, wires 151 and 154, the contacts 144 and 142 and wires 161and 122 to the terminal 111. This will cause a re-engagement of theelectric clutch 70, so that the feed roller 67 will be driven again bythe motor 61, thus pulling the stringers 1 until the disk roller 90 isbeing forced out of the aforementioned slot by the next followingconnected stringer section. The forcing of the disk roller 90 out of theslot causes a swinging of the elements 82 and 91 in a clockwisedirection on the pivot contact 92, so that a contact 150 will beconductively connected to the contact 92 by the switch 82. This willcause an interruption of the electrical circuit of the relay solenoid81, so that the contact will be re-connected to the contact 148 and thecontact 142 will be disconnected from the contact 144, as shown in FIG.13. Now an electric current will pass from the terminal 110 over thewires 121, 164 and 170, the electric clutch 70, the wire 151, the switch82 and the wire 123 to the terminal 111. When again a slot.

or an unconnected stringer portion, passes the sensing device (elements90 and 91) the same will swing in a caunterclockwise direction, so thatthe contact pivot 92 will be conductively re-connected to the contact141, and in the manner described above the same operation is repeated.Thus the swinging of the lever arm 91 and the reciprocating movement ofthe cam portion 85 with the plunger 84 of the staple press causes analternating opening and closing of the switches 82 and 83, so that theclutch 70 will be disengaged and re-engaged, as referred tohereintobefore, during the operation of the machine. In this manner allthe slots formed by toothless edge portions 5 of the stringers 2 and 3are provided with staples 7 at each end of each slot, so that the tape 1emanating from the device of FIGS. 9 and 10 will be that shown in FIG.3, which then can be wound upon a reel 101 rotatably mounted on thelower side of the base 57 or on any other suitable object.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and differentembodiments of the invention could be made without departing from thescope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the abovedescription or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as amatter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A machine for attaching bottom stop staples to disconnected portions ofa pair of stringers that have longitudinal edge portions connected toeach other by interlocking elements, consisting of a stapler having ananvil and a reciprocating staple press plunger provided with a camportion and being adapted for inserting staples at the bottom ends ofthe disconnected portions of said pair of stringers, a vertical pushmember extended from the lower extremity of said plunger, a verticalstop bolt slidably mounted beneath said plunger, resilient means tendingto force said stop bolt toward said push member, a source of electriccurrent, a feed roller mounted in alignment with the pair of stringersadapted for pulling the same through said stapler between the plungerand anvil thereof, an electric motor, an electric clutch interposedbetween said electric motor and said feed roller, a relay having asolenoid which, when energized, connects said electric clutch to saidsource of current so as to engage said electric clutch, a first switchoperated by the cam portion of said staple press plunger interposed inthe electric circuit of said relay solenoid for connecting anddisconnecting the relay solenoid to the source of current according tothe movement of said plunger, a sensing device pivoted to said staplerand directed toward the pair of stringers being located forward andadjacent said stop bolt and placed over those longitudinal edge portionsof said stringers which are connected to each other and being adaptedfor dropping in between the disconnected portions of the stringers asthey are passing by said sensing device, and a second switch operated bysaid sensing device for alternatingly connecting said electric clutchand said relay solenoid to said source of current whenever said sensingdevice is dropped between the disconnected portions of said stringersand forced out of the same by connected stringer portions as the plungeris being reciprocated, said stop bolt being forced by said resilientmeans against said push member through a portion of disconnectedstringers while said second switch is causing a disengaging of saidclutch, thereby said stapler fastening a staple to an end of theaforementioned disconnected portion of said stringers, and while saidplunger in its movement is approaching its lowest end portion said pushmember pushing said stop bolt out of the disconnected stringer portion,thereby the cam portion of the plunger causing said first switch toclose the electric circuit of the relay solenoid for energizing saidelectric clutch so as to cause said first roller to move a portion ofsaid pair of stringers through said stapler.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,415,084 5/22Berger 22645 1,488,512 4/ 24 Outrey 22645 2,302,084 11/42 Wintritz 1--682,445,179 7/48 Maynard 1-3 2,619,148 11/52 Camp 2934.1 2,719,299 10/55Lach 1-84 2,778,266 1/57 Forrester a 49 2,887,004 5/59 Stewart 8549FOREIGN PATENTS 743,432 3/33 France.

RICHARD H. EANES, JR., Primary Examiner.

THOMAS BEALL, WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Examiners.

